Fallen Angels
by King of Plegia
Summary: After Squall and the others fail to kill Ultimecia, they find themselves in a different world, and they are mostly separated. Rinoa is found by none other than Marlene Wallace, and Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart take her in. As the group of SeeDs (plus Rinoa) begin to reunite, the reasons of them being in this world are told, and while they're in that world, angels will fall.
1. Chapter 1: Withered SeeDs

**Chapter One**

**Withered SeeDs**

* * *

_I have to stay strong. I can't let them do this on their own._

The sky was a very dark grey that was quickly darkening to black, and it was twisted and distorted. The cause of this ruined sky was their foe; a woman covered in strange purple marks wearing a red dress that was way to revealing for any normal woman to be comfortable in. She looked like a cross between an angel and a demon, with black wings and her hair styled into devil-like horns.

Rinoa Heartilly felt her strength fading. Though the weapon was usually light-weight, Rinoa felt as if the Blaster Edge she used was getting heavier on her arm.

Rinoa was scared. She had a feeling that they couldn't do this -that they couldn't save their world. But just thinking about losing everything made Rinoa feel sick.

'Squall,' Rinoa wanted to say, but her voice had given away due to a lump in her throat.

_Are we going to die here?_ she wondered.

Rinoa looked around at her surroundings. Squall Leonhart, her lover and knight, was trying to stand tall as he once again tried to wound their opponent. Zell Dincht was trying to use magic, but his Guardian Force didn't seem to be present. Quistis Trepe, Selphie Tillmit, and Irvine Kinneas were also attacking the enemy the old-fashion way (using only their weapons), but their attacks were doing nothing.

"Foolish SeeDs!" the enemy thundered. "I am a descendant of Hyne! I am a goddess! There's nothing you can do to cause my demise!"

Rinoa wasn't sure if they would survive this, but she knew there was one person that would comfort her.

Clumsily (due to all of their foe's magic weighing down on her), Rinoa walked to that person.

"Squall."

Her voice was heard this time as she touched Squall's shoulder, but it sounded hoarse and raspy.

"Squall, will we be okay?"

"Of course we will," Squall said firmly. "We've come so far… we've worked so hard to get to this moment, and now the whole world is in our hands. We can't let Ultimecia get to us."

Though Squall spoke strongly and supposedly surely, the young dark-haired sorceress could sense the uncertainty he felt. There was nothing that the seventeen-year-old boy could hide from her.

"You su-"

Rinoa must have irked Ultimecia by interrupting the battle, because before Rinoa could finish saying the word "sure", she shot silver-colored flames at both Rinoa and Squall.

Rinoa felt like all of her bones would fracture as she bellowed in pain. Squall got up immediately, but Rinoa was no where near as strong as him. The world spun and she heard her heart thumping in her ears as she stood, wobbling a bit before spreading out her legs to keeps her balance.

"There is nothing you can do, SeeDs!" Ultimecia sneered. "Your world is gone! Time will compress!"

Then, Ultimecia threw out her arms, and she was engulfed by an eerie purple aura. Then, the world around Rinoa began to morph, being twisted and torn. Rinoa felt like she was going to be torn in two as she once again fell to the ground.

By now, the world was spinning so fast that Rinoa swore she would puke. Rinoa could hear the thumping in her ears so loudly that she was sure the earth below her was vibrating. Rinoa tried her best to get back on her feet, but the pain was too great. Soon, Rinoa cried out one more time, not just in physical pain, but in the pain of knowing all she cherished would be lost. Then, she fell unconscious.

* * *

The phone began to ring as Tifa sat alone, tapping the table, waiting for Denzel and Marlene to return from running errands. Tifa stood up and went to answer it.

"Hello?" Tifa said, answering the phone.

"Tifa?" Cloud's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Cloud?" Tifa said surprised. He was actually calling! "…Are you okay?"

"What?" he asked, not sure what Tifa was asking.

"Are you okay? You never call."

"Yes, I'm fine. But didn't you say you wanted to come with me next time I went to the church?"

"You actually remembered to call me!" Tifa laughed.

"…Yeah. I'm going to the church tonight."

"Oh. See you there?"

"Yeah."

They said they're goodbyes, and as Tifa hung up, Marlene and Denzel ran in through the back door, and placed the groceries on the counter.

"We're going to the church tonight," Tifa smiled at the two.

* * *

His entire body ached, and there was a loud ringing in his ears. His eyelids where too heavy to open, and not a single muscle in his body wanted to move but his slow-beating heart.

For a while, he couldn't remember who he was, and he seemed to have lost the ability to care. Honestly, he just wanted to sleep, and never wake up.

He heard voices that said otherwise.

They where hazy and distant, but they were there, and they sounded afraid. They spoke slowly, softly, and scared.

He took a long deep breath, then forced his reluctant, agonized body to move as he rolled himself onto his back and slowly opened his eyes.

The room was bright, and he was blinded for a few moments. When his vision returned, it was blurry, and everything was merged into a mess of colors. He only managed to make out the figures of the two people standing over him due to their voices.

"Squall?" a woman's voice gasped in relief. It took him a few seconds to remember that "Squall" was his name, but when he did, he remembered that he knew the voice, as well.

"Ellone..."

* * *

Marlene laughed and ran into the church happily, Denzel walking in behind her. Tifa and Cloud entered together, Tifa catching up with the things going on with Cloud's job.

Marlene ran to the flowerbed full of daffodils and lilies, stopped, then turned around and ran back to the adults, fear and concern in her eyes.

"What?" Tifa asked her.

"There's a girl sleeping in the flowers!" she cried.

"What!?" Cloud asked, walking to the flowerbed.

There was an unconscious girl laying in those flowers. She had dark hair that flowed down to her shoulder blades, and was wearing a blue vest that's long in the back. Cloud couldn't see the shirt she was wearing under it, because she was lying stomach-down. The things that caught his attention the most in her appearance were the white angel wings imprinted on her back.

Cloud carefully nudged her with his foot, turning her slightly towards him before she fell back to her original position.

"Is she alive?" Tifa asked, kneeling down and rolling the girl over. Now, Cloud could see the girl's face. She looked young -seventeen or eighteen years old- and wore a black shirt under her vest. She wore a button up denim skirt and black zip-up biker shorts on her legs, and combat boots on her feet.

Tifa grasped the mystery girl's wrist and held it, sighing with relief when she felt a pulse.

"Cloud," she said, looking at the blonde man, "we have to help her. We can't-"

"We don't have enough room for anymore people living with us," Cloud interrupted.

"Only until we know she's fi-"

"I want to help her us much as you do but-"

"Cloud, we can't just leave her here to die! I know you want to bring her home somewhere inside you. Please. Just until we know she's fine."

"…Fine."

Cloud then picked up the mystery girl and carried her out of the church, gave the girl to Tifa as he got onto his motorbike, then said, "I'll take her with me."

Tifa smiled, then hoisted the girl onto Cloud's bike. Cloud let the girl lean onto his back, and held one of her hands, the other on the handlebars.

"See you at the bar," he then said, then drove off.

* * *

_Where am I?_ Rinoa wondered. She wasn't in her world, that's for sure. But where was she? All she knew was that she was in a small village.

Before she had time to think more about it, she heard a piercing scream, then she saw smoke in the air. A warm light came from the same area as the smoke, telling her that a house was on fire. Rinoa was worried, so she darted toward the burning house.

As she neared the house, something made her stop in her tracks. There was man with long silver hair walking with a torch from the house. His eyes glowed green stared at Rinoa, his eyes looking into her soul. Then, he began walking towards her.

Rinoa swallowed her nervousness, then said awkwardly, "Hello?"

The man didn't seem to hear Rinoa, or notice her in fact. He strode right past her to thehouse behind her, and soon, that house was being devoured by flames as well.

Rinoa tried to stop the man, but it was no use. He ignored her, acting as if she wasn't there. So Rinoa was forced to stand and watch lives being taken.

As continued wrecking the village, another man went around gathering the injured.

Soon, there was only a few houses spared from the flames. The silver-haired man then turned and left, heading toward a mountain near the village. Rinoa was about to go after him, but someone else did before her, so Rinoa decided not to. She turned back and sat down next to the man who gathered the wounded.

'Do you know who that person was?' Rinoa tried to ask, but her voice wouldn't come out.

"Master!" Rinoa then heard a voice cry. As she looked up see be who the voice belonged to, her sight began to fade, and her head hurt. She barely able to see young woman that looked just a bit older than her with long brown hair and brown eyes towards them before she fell unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2: Rinoa

**Chapter Two**

**Rinoa**

* * *

Rinoa woke up somewhere else than she was before. She was now in a room that was dimly lit, and it had strange capsules, and a staircase that led to another doorway. The room had an eerie feel to it; a feeling that made Rinoa uneasy.

Rinoa looked around, and then heard the thumping of footsteps. The man with the silver hair that she saw earlier stormed in. He stormed past her and up the stairs, acting as if she wasn't there. As soon as he walked in, she heard him muttering things to his "mother". Curious about who would live in this kind of place, Rinoa ran up the stairs after him. Rinoa froze and wrinkled her nose when she read a sign that was above the door the

_Jenova…?_ Rinoa wondered. _What kind of name is that…?_

Rinoa once again heard footsteps in the room behind her. She spun around on her heals to see the girl she saw earlier; the one with the long brown hair. She was holding a long-bladed sword, and Rinoa had a feeling she knew what the girl was planning on using it for.

"Sephiroth!" she cried, running up the stairs. "How dare you do this to Father!? How dare you do this to everyone in the village!?"

She swung the sword at the silver-haired man, (Rinoa now guessed his name was Sephiroth), but the blade didn't leave a mark on his skin. Instead, he gripped the blade and lifted the girl off her feet. The girl struggled to break free, but her efforts were useless, and Sephiroth took the precious time of her struggling to skillfully flip the sword and slash at the girl's chest.

Rinoa screamed as the girl fell back, and stumbled down the stairs. Sephiroth smirked, then opened up the door in front of him and entered the next room. Rinoa abandoned Sephiroth and ran to the girl laying on the floor. She tried to touch her, but it was as if the energy of the injured girl was repelling Rinoa's.

"In spite of your promising me that…" the wounded girl said, "you would come whenever I'm in a pinch… Cloud…"

* * *

The girl began stirring on Cloud's back. He slowed down his bike, and checked to see if the girl was awake. She didn't seem to be, but she didn't stop stirring. Cloud wasn't sure if he should continue going; the girl might fall off. He would have to try to wake her up.

"Hey," he called, shaking her a little. She stirred a little more, then her eyes fluttered open.

"Ughn…" she groaned.

"You okay?" Cloud asked her.

"Mm… where am I…?"

"In Midgar."

"Mid…gar?"

The girl opened her brown eyes wider and looked around.

"Midgar…" she repeated. She sat up straight on the bike, and looked at Cloud. "Midgar?"

"Uh… yeah. Midgar."

The girl furrowed her brow.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked.

"What happened?" the girl said, not answering Cloud's question.

"I found you in the church."

"Church?" the girl said. "I'm so confused…"

"What's your name?"

The girl was silent for a while, and Cloud guessed that something must have happened to make her forget.

"You probably fell into the church and hit your head," he said.

"I guess…" the girl sighed. "I can't remember anyth… Rinoa!"

"What?" Cloud asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"That's it! Rinoa Heartilly! That's my name."

"Oh…"

"Where are we going?"

"To Seventh Heaven -a bar my friend works at."

"A bar? Why?"

"She might be able to help you."

"Okay…"

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Mhm…"

"What is your name?"

"Cloud. Cloud Strife."

"And how old are you, Cloud Strife?"

"Twenty-three."

Rinoa giggled. "You're old!"

Cloud chuckled as he started up the bike again, and Rinoa gasped and grabbed his shirt.

"What?" he asked, slightly looking over his shoulder.

"Sorry," she apologized, "I was afraid I was going to fall off."

"Oh… no problem."

As soon as Cloud pulled up to the bar and stopped, Rinoa let go of his shirt, she got off, then he got off.

* * *

"Ellone…"

Squall opened his eyes and blinked. Where was he? What happened? He seemed to be laying in a bed, and sitting next to his bed was his adopted sister, Ellone.

"What…?" he started. "I don't…"

_Oh yeah,_ he remembered, _the Sorceress… We…_

Ellone smiled.

"We found you behind an old church," she said.

"We?"

"Uncle Laguna and I."

"And where is…"

"He went to get us something to eat. He thought you were dead at first."

"Where are the others? Where's Rinoa?"

"…" Ellone said nothing, but stared down at her feet.

"We… didn't see them. Or at least, where she went."

"Where she went?" Squall asked, sitting up. "Where who went?"

"Uncle Laguna and I met two people earlier… before we found you. Their names were Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart. As soon as we found you behind that church, I saw them leaving the church… with an unconscious Rinoa."

"And you didn't stop them?"

"They were good people, I assure you. I thought she would be better off with them. I've been sending her consciousness to their past while she was asleep, just so she can trust them. I, surely, do trust them. And if you don't, I'll make you."

* * *

When Rinoa and Cloud walked into the bar, Rinoa smiled. It seemed like a nice, cozy place.

"Do you live here?" she asked Cloud.

"You could say that," Cloud replied. "It's more of where Tifa lives."

"Tifa? Is Tifa a… girl?"

"She was with me when we found you. She should be home soon."

"Oh… so she owns the bar? It's called Seventh Heaven, right?"

"Yeah… you're right about both of those things."

Rinoa smiled again, and Cloud was sure the room got brighter.

"Tifa's a girl… is she your girl-_friend?_" she asked in a singsong voice.

Everyone thinks that, Cloud sighed to himself, shaking his head. That's almost exactly what Aeris said…

When the name "Aeris" crossed his mind, a pang of guild hit Cloud. He couldn't get over the fact that isn't seemed it was his fault she died… he couldn't save her… he let her die…

_"Dilly-dally shilly-shally,_" Aeris' voice said in his head, and he smiled to himself.

Seeing that Tifa wasn't Cloud's girlfriend, Rinoa asked, "Do you like her?"

"Of course I like her. She's a childhood friend."

"That's not what I mean," Rinoa giggled. "I mean _like_-like her."

"…What?"

"Have you ever gone on a date?" Rinoa asked, smiling.

"Why?" Cloud asked. Why did this girl want to know so much?

"Because. I'm surprised an attractive guy like you is still single. I would probably have a crush on you if I didn't already have a boyfriend."

"Uh…"

Cloud shook his head again, and Rinoa giggled.

"Sorry," she said.

"Never mind," Cloud sighed.

Rinoa burst out into laughter, which made Cloud want to laugh. This girl was so… happy. Cloud knew he was that happy once, but that was more than six years ago. Who knew when he would feel that way again…

He came close to being that happy recently, and that was when he saved the lives of countless children, including Denzel. But his mind wasn't at ease. Would it ever be? Cloud decided to take his mind off of that.

"Come upstairs with me," he said.

"Why?" Rinoa asked nervously, her laughter ending suddenly.

"Because I… do you remember anything other than your name or the fact you have a boyfriend?"

Rinoa shook her head.

"Alright, I want to see what you remember."

"…Okay…"

Cloud and Rinoa walked up the stairs, Cloud looking over his shoulder every once and a while to make sure Rinoa was still there. As soon as they got upstairs, Cloud turned and had Rinoa follow him into his office. He gestured her to a chair by the window, then Cloud sat at his desk, then looked up at her.

"Your name is Rinoa Heartilly?" he asked.

"Yup," Rinoa smiled.

"Alright. Do you remember where you're from?"

"No?"

"No," Rinoa frowned.

"That's fine," Cloud sighed. "Do you remember anything about your family?"

"…My father, I think, was some sort of government official… my mother…"

_Government official…? _Cloud wondered_. Is that even possible…? She can't be from Shinra… or maybe…_

"What's your father's name?"

"Fury… Caraway…?"

"What?"

This couldn't be right. Cloud would've know if there was any government official named Fury Caraway. He knew everyone in Shinra (and just because he knew them didn't mean he had to like them) and there was no one with that name. And didn't Rinoa say her last name was Heartilly?

"Have you ever been to Shinra?" Cloud blurted out.

Rinoa stared blankly at him, then shook her head slowly.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm… pretty sure…" Rinoa said, folding her arms, "…why?"

"'Pretty sure?'"

"I can't remember."

Cloud sighed, then began looking through the papers on his desk. Maybe he could find someone with the last name 'Heartilly' or 'Caraway' that he delivered something to. As he did so, thoughts about Rinoa swam around his mind.

_Could it be Mako Poisoning? That could be it… it does alter your memories… she says she has never been to Shinra… but that could be a side affect from the Mako…_

Cloud looked up at Rinoa. She was staring out the window with a wistful look in her eyes. Cloud sighed, knowing that all Rinoa wanted was to go home.

Cloud looked back down and began shuffling through the papers again, but soon afterwards.

Rinoa yawned and stretched, her back making a few satisfing pops as she did so.

"I'm really tired," she whispered.

"Really?" Cloud turned around to look at her. "You just woke up!"

"Yeah, but..." she sighed, "I'm really, really sleepy."

He noticed how she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"There's a bedroom across the hall..." he began, but before he finished, she had already slumped off the chair, unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3: The Others

**Chapter Three**

**The Others**

* * *

Yuffie Kisaragi was bored. She was in Nibelhiem for who-knows-what (something for Wutai… she remembered) and wanted to do something… fun. Like look for materia or something. She got that chance to do something fun when she saw a flash of light from the top of Mt. Nebil.

What the hell was that!? she wondered.

It couldn't be lightning; there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Curiosity took over Yuffie, so she stood up and ran towards the mountain.

* * *

Cloud stood up and ran over to Rinoa.

"You okay!?" he asked.

"…" Rinoa didn't answer.

Cloud turned her over to see that she seemed peaceful, and decided that he wasn't going to wake her up. Gently picking her up, he carried into the kids' room. After carefully placing her in Marlene's bed, he went back to his office.

Who is this girl? he wondered. Where is she from? How did she get here…?

Cloud knew that those questions wouldn't be answered unless her memories came back.

What if she has memories, but she's pretending she doesn't…

Cloud shook his head. That wasn't true. He could tell.

He heard the door downstairs open, then little footsteps run up the stairs. Marlene hurried into the room.

"Where's the girl?" she asked, her face full of concern. "I wanna see her."

"Asleep," Cloud said. "In your room."

Marlene nodded and ran into her room. Tifa came up the stairs next.

"Who is she?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Cloud replied. "She says her name is Rinoa Heartilly, and her father's first name is Fury. The thing is, she claims her father's last name is Caraway…"

"And she's not old enough to be married, right?"

"She's about seventeen, or so she says."

Cloud left his office, Tifa following him.

"Are you staying?" she asked.

"…No. I want to find more about that girl."

"…"

"I want to help her."

"…I see. Stay safe."

* * *

Yuffie's jaw dropped as she reached the top of the mountain. There was a pile of people! There were four people in total; two boys and two girls.

_"Could you please help them?"_ a voice in Yuffie's head said.

_Why do I have to?_ Yuffie silently snapped back.

_"Because,"_ the voice surprised Yuffie be answering, _"I care about those people."_

_And who are you? And how do I know your not a bad guy?_

_"Please? Cloud trusts me!"_

_Cloud!?_

_"Yeah."_

_…What's in it for me?_

_"I'll give you materia."_

_Okay… you sure?_

_"I'm sure. Now please, can you revive them?"_

Yuffie searched around the stuff she was carrying for a Phoenix Down or two, and found enough to revive the entire group. She bent down and revived one of the girls. This girl had brown hair that was flipped up at the ends, and she wore a short yellow jumper and brown boots. Letting the red feather fall onto the girl's chest, Yuffie yelled, "Phoenix Down!"

The girl groaned, the groggily sat up. She gasped, then quickly began feeling around herself as if she was making sure she was still there.

"Phew," she sighed. She looked back up at Yuffie. "Thank you!" she beamed.

"Okay…" Yuffie smirked.

"I'm Selphie Tillmit!"

"I'm Yuffie Kisaragi , the single white rose of Wutai!"

Selphie laughed. "Um…" she said, "can you revive my friends, please?"

"Okay… if you give me all your materia!"

"Materia?" a strange look came upon Selphie's face. "What's that?"

"You don't know what materia is!?"

"No…?

Yuffie was tempted to say something mean, but that voice in her head stopped her.

"You have to have some materia," she said.

Selphie shrugged, reaching into her pockets and feeling around. A look of utter confusion crossed her face as she pulled out a small blood-red colored ball.

"You see," Yuffie smirked, "materia!"

"…Whoa," Selphie said in awe, "it's so pretty!"

"Mhm! And it looks like a summon, too! I wonder which one it is?"

Selphie and Yuffie stood in silence for a while, but then Selphie said, "I think it's Tonberry."

"Tomberry?" Yuffie asked. "Like... that horrible thing innthat fighting arena in Gold Saucer?"

Selphie didn't reply. All she said was, "Can you revive my friends now, please?"

* * *

Rinoa woke up in that room with the strange capsules again. And the injured girl was laying next to her.

_What's going on…?_ she wondered. _I'm scared…_

Soon, a dark haired man entered the room. He looked around a bit, then saw the girl next to Rinoa. He knelt down next to her.

"Tifa…"

Tifa… Rinoa thought. Isn't that Cloud's… friend?

"Tifa…! Tifa!"

At the last time he called her name, the girl opened her eyes.

"Zack…?" she asked.

"Sephiroth did this to you, right Tifa?" the man, or Zack, asked.

"Yes…" Tifa replied. Zack gasped. "You guys…" Tifa continued, "came to this village… just for an investigation… right…? That's why I lead you here… It was just for that… But why did it turn out like…"

Tears began running down Tifa's face, making Rinoa's heart drop.

"Tifa…" Zack breathed.

"I hate it…" Tifa said. "Shinra, SOLDIER, and you too…"

Rinoa watched as Zack stood up.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I won't ask you to forgive me…"

He turned to face the stairs.

Is he going up there? Rinoa wondered as he began to slowly walk up the stairs.

"But…" he continued. "Let me put an end to this."

'Please, no!' Rinoa wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Zack continued going. All she could do was follow. He drew his sword and angrily burst open the door to the next room. Rinoa coughed silently as dust flew everywhere, but Zack continued going. Rinoa followed.

"Mother," a voice said.

_Him again?_ Rinoa asked herself, scared.

This room had two small platforms and a wire-like bridge. Other than those few things to hold them, there was only an endless pit. Sephiroth stood on the smaller platform, standing on too of what seemed like a metal woman.

"Let's take back this planet together," he said. "I came up with a good plan… let's go to the Promised Land."

Rinoa tilted her head. Promised… Land?

"Mother…"

"Sephiroth!" Zack interrupted, startling Rinoa. "Why did you kill the villagers!? Why did you hurt Tifa!? Answer me, Sephiroth!"

"Mother, those fools came again…"

_Fools…? Again…?_

"Mother was supposed to become the ruler of this planet with her superior power and knowledge. But those fools… those worthless fools… snatched this planet away from you, right, mother?"

_This man is scary…_

"But please don't be sad anymore…" he said, reaching up and grabbing the "woman's" head. "Come with me."

And with that, he pulled on the "woman", breaking the wires holding her in place and throwing her down. Behind that woman was some creature with glowing pink eyes. Rinoa gaped at the sight. What was that?

"We finally meet, mother."

Zack gritted his teeth, then walked up behind Sephiroth. Rinoa stayed where she was, in fear of getting too close.

"Sephiroth!" Zack put the sword to Sephiroth's neck. "What the hell happened to you!?"

"You traitor…!"

Rinoa screamed as Sephiroth spun around and slashed at Zack. Sparks flew as Zack raised his large blade to repel the attack. Sephiroth applied more fore to his blade, and nearly pushing Zack off the platform, he jumped up. Zack growled, then jumped up too.

Rinoa turned away as the two battled.

"Sephiroth! And I trusted you!"

She flinched as she heard metal clash against metal.

"No… you're not the Sephiroth I once knew!"

Rinoa heard Zack cry out, then more clashing of metal, but she was too afraid to turn around.

"I was the chosen one," Sephiroth said. "I am the chosen existence that is to be this planet's ruler."

She heard Zack cry out.

"In order to return this planet from you fools to the hands of the Cetra's, I was born."

Rinoa heard Zack cry out again, then spun around to see him laying on his hands and knees by Sephiroth's "mother". But she screamed as Sephiroth jumped down and slashed at Zack. The strength of this attack threw Zack past her and he hit one of the capsules, and his sword landing by her feet. She couldn't take this anymore, so she fell unconscious.

* * *

"Hey, Elle," Laguna said, entering the room. Squall hadn't gotten out of bed yet; Ellone refused to let him, saying that he needed to rest. Laguna gave Ellone some food, then turned to Squall. "Well," he said, "you seem to be alive. That's good."

"Now we know two of them are alive…" Ellone said quietly.

After a few moments of silence, Ellone said, "I need to tell you both something."

"Huh?" Laguna asked. "Oh, go ahead."

Ellone looked at Squall, who nodded.

"Okay, here it goes. Squall… meet your… father. Laguna, meet your son."

"What!?"

Neither Laguna nor Squall could believe what Ellone just said.

_I… have a father!? And it's _him!?_ What!?_

"I have a son!? B-but Raine…!"

"She gave birth to Squall a few days before she died. That's how Squall and I ended up in the orphanage together. "

* * *

Rinoa woke up to see large brown eyes looking down at her. The eyes belonged to a brunette little girl. She wore a cream-colored sleeveless turtle neck, a tan skirt, and white sneakers. She smiled.

"Tifa!" she called. "The girl's awake!"

Tifa… Rinoa remembered her dream. That girl was named Tifa. Could it be the same girl…?

A woman entered the room. She looked much older than the girl in her dream. Her hair was brown and shoulder length, and she wore a black and white tank top with a black skirt that was long in the back. It took until Rinoa saw her eyes to see that it was the same girl.

She knelt down by the bed.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I… I think so…"

"What's your name?"

"Rinoa Heartilly. Are you Tifa?"

The woman smiled, nodding.

"Cloud told me a little bit about you. He said you have amnesia. You can stay with us as long as you need to."

"Thank you," Rinoa replied, smiling. "How long was I asleep?"

"You fell unconscious yesterday around four thirty. You've been asleep since then."

"Oh…"

After a few minutes of silence, Rinoa said, "Can I do anything for you?"

"Huh?" Tifa asked.

"You're taking care of me. I want to repay you."

"Oh, you don't need to…"

"I will!"

"Alright… why don't you work at the bar?"

"Oh, okay. And also, I don't want to take someone's bed…"

"Oh, don't worry," Marlene chirped. "I get to sleep with Tifa!"


	4. Chapter 4: Together Again

**Chapter Three**

**The Others**

* * *

Vincent Valentine's new phone started ringing. Picking it up, he saw that it was, once again, Yuffie calling him. He didn't want to answer. So he didn't. But, she called again. He sighed. Picking up the phone, he answered.

"What do you want?" he asked as soon as he answered.

"Really? A hello would be nice!" Yuffie's voice came from the other end of the line. "I actually have something to sat that might actually be important to you."

Vincent wasn't sure to trust Yuffie with those words. She could just say something really stupid and claim it was important. But, even though he thought it would be a big mistake, he decide to hear her out.

"What?" he asked.

"I found people."

"...People."

"Yeah. People. And get this, I found the unconscious at the top of Mt. Nibel. And they don't know what materia is!"

"Mt. Nebil... ...They don't know what materia is?"

"No! And they can't remember where their from, either. Or, at least, that's what they tell me."

"Do you know why they are on Mt. Nibel?"

"No. They don't remember coming up here."

This was extremely odd. People. At the top of Mt. Nebil. Who couldn't remember why they were there?

"Yuffie. Let me talk to one of the people up there.."

"Got it."

There was shuffling on the other end of the phone.

"...Yes?"

The voice was unfamiliar.

"...Who are you?"

"Quistis Trepe. You?"

"...Vincent Valentine. Where are you?"

"Did Yuffie not tell you? We're at the top of some mountain. Mt. Nibel, I believe?"

"And why are you there?"

"Did Yuffie not tell you this, either? We can't remember."

"How many of you, besides Yuffie, are at the top of that mountain? "

"Four of us."

"Do you know each other?"

"Yes."

Vincent heard Yuffie in the background say, "Wow, Vinnie seems talkative today. That's new!"

"...Thanks. Could you hand the phone back to Yuffie?"

"Yes."

There was a bit more shuffling.

"You just asked her about everything I told you."

"...I apologize. You're simply hard to believe sometimes."

"And what is that supposed to mean!?"

"I need you to call Cloud. If he doesn't answer, call Tifa. Tell them everything you told me, and let them talk to Quistis. Do you understand me?"

"Yup. Got it~"

"Good. I assume that I'll have to talk to you later..."

"Probably."

"...Alright then. Goodbye."

"Bye~"

_People._

_At the top of Mt. Nibel..._

* * *

Yuffie hung up the phone and turned to the four people she found. Quistis had her arms crossed, looking at Yuffie. Selphie was tracing circles on the ground with her feet.

Yuffie had to admit to herself that Quistis was a very pretty lady. She had goldenrod hair and kind blue a matching red skirt. Her face was gentle, and showed that she was a nurturing person. She wore a red sleeveless shirt and a matching skirt, and Yuffie believed it looked good on her.

But it wasn't like Yuffie was going to tell anyone that she thought that.

The two guys in the group of people stood chatting with each other. They both looked as confused as hell. And Yuffie believed that they had odd appearances.

One of the boys, like Quitsis, had goldenrod hair and blue eyes. His clothes were moderately normal: A jacket over a white t-shirt and shorts. It was his face that Yuffie thought was odd.

It had a big black tattoo on it. It was a strange design, too.

The other boy wore a long brown jacket over a purplish shirt, brown pants, and boots. His long, brown hair was tied into a ponytail, and he wore a black hat.

_Seriously_, Yuffie said to herself, _who dresses like that!?_

Quitsis had two introduce themselves. The blonde one was named Zell Dincht, and the brunette was a named Irvine Kinneas.

Yuffie smiled at all of them.

"I'm not even gonna call Cloud and Tifa. Let's just go to their house!"

* * *

Rinoa sat at one of the tablets in the bar, re-reading the information Tifa had written out for about the Lifestream, and Materia. There was some very unique things in this world, and they interested Rinoa greatly. She made a mental note to ask more questions about things like this as long as she was there.

Her mind began to wander after a while. Where was Squall; where were her friends? Were they trying to find her? Were they at least thinking about her?

Were they alive?

_Of course they're alive, s_he snapped at herself. _Why wouldn't they be?_

She then noticed something else. How many times had her friends had to come and find her? They had to rescue her so many times... maybe they were getting tired of it?

Regret began to pour into her thoughts like a waterfall. They worked so hard for her sake, and she barely did anything in return! She never repaid them for all the things they had done for her, for all the times they put their lives on the line for her. If they ever met again...

_We are going to meet again,_ she told herself, _and when we do, I'll repay them. I have to._

* * *

"Surprise, bitches, Yuffie's in the house!"

The bar door slammed open as the young woman burst in.

"Yuffie!" Tifa hissed, laughing as she did so, gesturing at the two children helping her behind the counter. "Watch your language!" Yuffie rolled her eyes, before quickly changing the subject.

"You'll never belive what I found!"

"Oh, what did you find?" Tifa grinned.

"People!"

Rinoa had been standing next to Tifa when Yuffie came in, not wanting to interrupt the two. Yuffie's mention of finding people hit her hard. Could she have possibly found her friends?

"People?" Tifa seemed astonished.

"Yup! They were all unconscious at the top of Mt. Nibel, by the Mako reactor. Who thought that people would be found there, huh?"

"What are their names? Where are they?" Rinoa tried her best to contain her excitement.

"Whoa, slow down, hun," Yuffie laughed. "They're coming. They wanted to explore the city a bit. Don't worry, I gave them directions to the bar. You'll learn they're names as soon as they get here, 'kay?"

"B-but-"

"Chill, they'll be here soon! But while we're waiting, care to introduce yourself?"

Rinoa told the woman, Yuffie, her name, and told her a bit about what had happened before she arrived there.

"Oh, so you where found somewhere random, too? ...In Aeris' church? Huh, maybe you do have something to do with these people."

"That's what I think," Rinoa confessed.

"Well, you'll have to wait a bit longer," Yuffie shrugged. "I dunno where they went... relax, though, they'll be able to find their way here."

The three of them spoke for quite some time. Yuffie and Tifa caught up with each other, and Rinoa and Yuffie got to know each other. But Rinoa barely paid attention. Ti,e went by painfully slow for her, until finally the door opened.

"Rinoa?!" Zell's voice spoke out.

"I knew it!" Rinoa squealed with joy sprinting and throwing her arms around her friend. "I knew it was you! I knew it!"

Zell laughed, "Chill, chill! Yeah, it's us! Calm down!"

"Us? Who else is with you?"

Selphie and Quitsis walked in together, and they're eyes widened when they say Rinoa. Selphie screamed ecstatically and grabbed Rinoa's hands, and the two of them proceeded to scream and jump up and down like two excited fangirls. Quitsis seemed overjoyed as well, but seemed reculant to give Rinoa such a greeting; so Rania went over and hugged her herself. Irvine was the last one to enter. After tipping his hat at Tifa, he ran over and scooped Rinoa into a huge bear hug.

They all broke out into a loud mass of chatter as they shared stories of how they where found, what had happened, and how scared they where. None of them seemed to know how they got there or what had happened before they got there, but no one seemed to mind. They were just happy to see each other alive.

"Have any of you seen Squall?" Rinoa asked as soon as the chatter died down enough for her to change the subject. Any access chatter immediately stopped as all their faces dropped into worried expressions. Rinoa frowned.

"Oh..." she said. The lights in the room seemed to dim as she bit her lip. She then smiled again, and the room got brighter. "That's okay," she said cheerfully. "At least we found each other, right! And we all know Squall isn't dead. He's too good for that. He's out there somwhere. We'll find him! We'll find him together!"

The word "together" seemed to echo around the room.


	5. Long, Important Author's Note!

Hey guys! This will be full of a lot of information, not all regarding this story. I will underline all the most important things of you don't want to read all of this. Thanks!

* * *

To start this off, I'm changing by pen name to King of Plegia! Tell me if you get the reference, because if you do, I will love you. _**LOVE YOU.**_

Second off, I'm writing three other stories! Yup, three! The first one will be a novelization of Fire Emblem Awakening (information found below by 1), the other two will be Final Fantasy VII stories (the first found by 2, second my three). If you wanna read more of my work, or are interested in those games, please, read those stories and tell me what you think!

I bet your thinking, "King, how do you expect us to believe that you'll be updating three stories a week if you can barely take care of one?" Here's my answer. I don't. But if this is any consolation, I will be making a schedule, and it will be alerting me to tell me what story I need to update on a specific day. I will post the two FF7 stories on Mondays, the FEA story on Wednesday, and _Fallen Angels_ on Fridays. I will tell you if I am unavailable on any of those days.

This next one has to do with how I would like to be addressed. Well, I would like to say I am genderfluid, meaning that I don't always feel mentally like my designated gender. Some days I'll feel male, other days female, and other days both or neither. That being said, you may address me as Simon, Abby, or my pen name; whatever you prefer. My preferred pronouns are he/him, she/her, and/or they/them. Whatever's easiest for you!

Also, I'm planning on going back and rewriting all the _Fallen Angels_ chapters written prior to yesterday. I have immensely improved in my writing, so the chapters will be much better when they are rewritten. And yes, I will fix typos. So as soon as the next chapter is added, I recommend going back and re-reading those other ones, because they'll be new and improved!

**1: I dunno what this one will be called yet. It will feature my unit, Abigail. All of the pairings I chose will be in it, and all of the choices I made in game that impact the plot will be in it.**

**2: This story will be called _Fall of Meteor_. It will be basically the same as actual Final Fantasy VII, but will have a specail addition, my OC, Riley Winters. Information about her will be put up along with the story, and her backstory and such will be added with the original plot.**

**3: This one is also about my OCs. It will be called _Wandering Souls_, and is about Riley's adopted daughter Yvonne, Yvonne's biological mother Yivian, and their family. It begins before the time Crises Core begins, and extends a bit after Advent Children, but not to the point where Fallen Angels begins. There will be characters from FF7, so don't worry.**

I will be unable to update _Fallen Angels_ on Friday next week, so it will be updated next Wednesday instead.

* * *

I think that's all! Thank you for making time to read this and _Fallen Angels!_ I'll see you Wednesday!

_"And remember!_ _Life is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold!"_

**_Bye! _**

-Sorceress Zelda, or King of Plegia


	6. Chapter 5: The Planet Stirs and Lurches

**Chapter Five**

**The Planet Stirs and Lurches**

* * *

The beast growled out in pain as Squall sliced a deep cut into its side. He wasn't used to seeing fiends this strong, but he had fought some before, and knew how to handle them.

He had left the inn he was staying in, and wanted to see if it was possible to find Rinoa in this unknown place. It was difficult for him to convince Ellone that he was well enough to get out of bed, let alone leave the town, but as soon as he did, he was out of there.

He could not believe that Laguna Liore was his father. How the fucking hell was that possible? And Laguna didn't know either...

He slashed at the monster again as soon as he saw an opening, and sighed. It had taken a long time to take that one down, and he now had a few bites and scratches in his already-injured body. But that was alright if it meant he would find Rinoa and the others.

He hoped his search wasn't in vain.

* * *

She hadn't fully returned to the Planet yet. She knew she still had a mission to complete.

Though her primary one had been completed already, as long as Cloud roamed the Planet, her final mission would remain incomplete.

She had no idea how much time had passed on the surface since everything was "fixed", but she had a feeling that it wasn't very long. She hoped that he was okay up there, but had no way to know for sure.

The Planet stirred in an uncomfortable way, sending a rush of strange anxiety through her body. What was that?

She looked around the Lifestream that flowed around her, as if something dangerous would be there. She didn't know what she was expecting, but whatever it was, she had a feeling she wouldn't like it.

Another threat would soon come to the Planet, she knew. It may not necessarily be as big as a threat that came before, but something in the pit of her stomach told her that it, too, could be deadly.

"He can take it, whatever it is," she told herself, her voice echoing through the flow of energy. "He'll be fine. The Planet will be... just fine."

She wasn't so sure. She sighed.

"It's probably nothing, anyway," she continued to herself, "it's probably the Planet still trying to heal itself from the previous blow it took... no, that can't be it."

She lifted her hand and bit on her fingernail. She felt herself becoming terrified as she remembered; the last time she had felt that was when Sephiroth summoned Meteor. It was definitely something that was going to harm the Planet, and definitely something deadly.

She felt the sudden need to talk to someone. Cloud, specifically, but as she knew that was impossible, she'd have to find someone else.

"Zack?" she called out his name, hoping that his consciousness hadn't already been used to make another lifeform. She sighed with relief as she heard his voice echo around her, "You don't sound good. You okay?"

His figure formed in front of her, dim. He tilted his head as he looked at her worried face, and frowned.

She felt the Planet stir again.

"Did you feel that?" she asked him, hugging herself as she glanced around again.

"Feel what?"

She looked at him again. He looked confused and afraid.

"Hmm... I guess only I can feel its because I'm a Cetra..." she said softly. "Zack," she continued, "something's coming. And it's really, really bad."

* * *

Rinoa felt something inside her make an awful lurch. What was that?

She looked around her to see if anyone else had felt it. Seeing that they hadn't, she turned back and continued to help Tifa with the dishes.

She felt the lurch again. It made her feel sick.

"O...kay," she breathed, "I don't feel good."

"Hm?" Tifa turned around and looked at her. "How so?"

"I feel nauseous," she sighed.

"Uh oh," Selphie frowned. "You wanna lay down? I can take care of the dishes for you."

"Mm..."

"If you don't feel good, Rinoa," Quistis said gently, "then you need to rest. Go lay down."

Rinoa obeyed. She washed the soad suds off her hands, thanked Selphie for helping with the chores, then began to climb the stairs.

Suddenly, fear ran up her spine, making her shiver. It wasn't her own fear, she felt. Then who's was it? And why was it that she, of all people, felt it?

She sighed deeply as she flopped onto her stomach on the bed. Her stomach lurched a third time, and the strange fear increased. She felt like she needed to cry, or scream.

Some of her personal fear was added to the mix as she thought about Squall. Even though he wasn't dead, she had a feeling that, if something wasn't done, he would be, soon. She hugged the pillow below her tightly as a tear silently fell down her cheek.

More were soon to follow.

* * *

"Your friend is out there alone, isn't he?" Tifa asked the four newcomers. They all seemed to believe that he was, and Tifa's heart skipped a beat. It was dangerous for anyone beside Cloud to be outside a town or a village alone.

The chores where all complete, and bar was having a slow day. She assumed that it would stay like that.

"We need to find him," Tifa sighed, "but it's an extremely risky job. The beasts outside towns these days are extremely powerful... if he's still alive out there, than he's only faced the weaker ones." She looked at Yuffie. "How did you all get here?"

"By airship," Yuffie grinned. "Shera, of course."

"Do you think Cid is very busy right now?"

"I guess not, since he made time to bring us here."

"Good," Tifa sighed, "because if we're going to find this 'Squall', we'll need help. Like a search party of sorts."

Yuffie gasped in delight. "Are you gonna call the others? Barret and Vincent and Cait Sith and Re- Nanaki? Like, getting the gang back together?"

"Yes," Tifa nodded, smiling, "like getting the gang back together."

* * *

Rinoa was having a dream again.

_I guess I fell asleep._

She noticed, however, that in this dream, she wasn't herself. Her body was moving involuntary as she walked forward.

She did manage to realize that she was in a church. It was old and desolate, and seemed like the entire world had forsaken it, abandoned it. Pews were overturned, pillars where crumbling, and the ceiling was dotted with holes.

At the back, there was a flower garden, full of yellow lilies and white daisies. Rinoa-or whoever she was in this dream-sighed, and looked down at the basket in her hands. It was empty beside a beautifuly decorated notebook and a flower pen.

Rinoa seized the chance to look at what she was wearing. She donned was a long, pink button up dress. She had hiking boots on her feet two golden bands around her wrists. She also noticed two strings of curls on either side of her head resting on her chest, and that she had a red short-sleve jacket on. Rinoa guessed that she didn't know this person, but here she was, in that person's body.

She knelt down by the flowers, running a hand over their soft petals. She then took out the notebook.

It was running out of pages, and many had been wripped out. Only about twenty pages remained, when the notebook must have originally had at least a hundred pages. None of the remaining pages were written in, and each had a beautiful, light green river-like thing printed on it. That must represent the Lifestream, Rinoa thought.

She flipped to one of the last fresh page, and lowered her pen to write. Rinoa noticed that she felt hopeless, worried, abandoned, and discouraged as she wrote the first five words.

_Dear Zack, _

_How are you?_

Rinoa had heard the name Zack in her previous dream. She guessed that the Zack that this letter would go to was the same person.

She moved into a better writing position, with her legs crossed and the notebook resting against her ankles. She propped her arm up on her thigh and rested her head on it as she pondered about what she should wright. She then continued.

_I wish I knew where you were... it's already been four years now. This is the 89th letter that I've sent you. I don't even know where to send them anymore. _

Rinoa couldn't believe it. Four years and 89 letters? This poor woman had been writing to this man, Zack, for four years and didn't know where he was? No wonder she felt so hopeless.

_I really hope,_ her hand danced across the paper as the words formed, _that this final letter that I'm writing gets to you. _

She blinked back the tears that had begun to gather in her eyes. Rinoa knew that the woman would soon burst into tears.

She looked up from the page, sniffling a bit, and looked at an unfinished flower wagon sitting in the corner. Rinoa knew that it would be a gorgeous, charming little thing as soon as it was finished. But Rinoa didn't know if it ever would be finished.

Looking at the flower wagon seemed to have given the woman a new thing to write about, for she looked down at the page again and her hand began to dance again.

_Hey, _she wrote,_ the flowers are selling very well. They make everyone so happy... all thanks to you, Zack. _

A few tears, against her will, ran down her face, "Whoops," she said. Her voice was extremely soft - much softer than Rinoa's.

She decided to end the letter there, knowing that she wouldn't be able to bear continuing. She took a deep breath as she signed the letter.

_With love,_

_Aeris_

* * *

**I killed my foot, guys. I got a really deep cut in it. There was blood everywhere. It hurts like fuck. I couldn't go to school.**

**But at least I managed to finish this on time!**

**I also went back and fixed every single typo in the previous chapters. Honestly, I thought my writing in those chapters would be absolutely terrible, but they were actually decent, so I only changed a few things. I still recommend reading them!**

**Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7: Search Party Assembles

**Chapter Six**

**Search Party Assembles**

* * *

They were all coming. All five of them. Barret, Cid, Vincent, Nanaki, and Cait Sith... they were coming to help Cloud, Yuffie, and Tifa fight for a sole purpose again.

_ Just like old times._ Tifa smiled.

She pulled her old combat gloves onto her hands, flexing her fingers under the protective leather. Zell tilted his head at her.

"Hey, you fight with your fists, too?" he asked.

"Well, yes," Tifa grinned. "You do?"

"Hell yeah!" Zell cried, punching the air. "It's the most fun that way!"

Tifa chuckled. "Yes, I guess so."

"So are we supposed to stand around until the others get here?" Yuffie pouted. "How _booor_-ing!"

Selphie smiled. "I don't mind it," she chirped. Her nunchaku on her lap.

_ What a creative weapon,_ Tifa thought. _I've never seen anything like it before._

"This place is _sooo_ charming!" Selphie continued.

"Thank you," Tifa laughed.

"Is Rinoa still asleep?" Quistis asked. She had put her glasses on, but she peered over the rim as she spoke.

"I believe so. Why?"

"Oh, I don't know..." Quistis crossed her arms. "It's just that... I don't think she should come."

All eyes fell on Quistis. She continued softly.

"I know that, even though we all are, she's the most worried about Squall. Of course she is. I understand that. But... is it safe? She took quite the beating before..."

_ Quite the beating..._

"Oh, yeah," Irvine agreed, "she was the first one of us too..."

"Don't say it!" Selphie cried.

Irvine smiled a bit. "Sorry," he said.

_ What were they doing before we found them?_

"But you know Rinoa," Irvine added. "She's willful. Won't let us leave without her."

"That's why I asked if she was still asleep," Quistis nodded. "Maybe we can leave before she wakes up."

"If our 'search party' gets here before she does," Tifa reminded them.

They had seemed to forget that Tifa was there, because they all looked at her in a confused way. She smiled, and shook her head. "Don't forget that we're getting more help."

"Right," Quistis nodded again. "We can wait. But I don't know what we'll do if Rinoa wakes up before they get here..."

* * *

Rinoa was awake, but she didn't want to get out of bed. She still felt sick, like she could just keel over and die. She had no idea what had come over her, but she didn't have the energy to get up.

She had noticed something. She felt like something was missing, and something that... wasn't Squall. It felt like a part of her was missing, leaving a gaping whole in her chest. It didn't make her feel sad, or lonely, it just made her feel empty. She had never felt that way before, but she didn't like it.

_Maybe if I take my mind off it_, she thought, _it'll go away._

She began to think about Aeris, the woman in her dream. She felt sorry for Aeris. She knew that Aeris had loved Zack, whoever he was, and being away from someone she loved for such a long time with no way to contact him must have been awful.

_ Thank God I won't be away from Squall for four years,_ she sighed to herself. _And maybe, when I see him again, I can find the piece of me that's missing._

And with that, she fell asleep again.

And she had a dream.

She was Aeris again, she noticed, in the same old church. She was humming to herself, much happier than she was the last time.

"Hello, my flowers," she chirped as she bent down over her flower garden. "My, you're all very pretty!"

_ She's so cute!_ Rinoa thought happily to herself. Aeris seemed like someone she would get along with well.

"You're going to make a lot of people smile," Aeris said, and took up a watering can, watering the plants.

There was a loud _crash!_ and Aeris shrieked, jumping away from the flowers, and the body of a man hit the ground with a _thud!_

_"Again!"_ Aeris laughed a bit, panting. She trembled a bit, and put her hand on her heart. "Give me a heart attack, will you?"

_Again?_ Rinoa asked (she would've screamed those words if she wasn't in Aeris' body). W_hat do you mean, again?_

Aeris bent down over his body, and sighed. She scanned his clothing. He wore what looked like an indigo uniform of sorts. "Another SOLDIER...?"

Rinoa noticed then who that man was.

_C-Cloud!?_

It was, indeed, Cloud. And he looked exactly the same as the one in real life.

_That's odd._

Aeris bent down, and searched for a pulse. "It's alive," she confirmed, glancing to his face. He stirred. "Oh, it moved!"

Rinoa was amused at the fact she called him an "it".

His eyes snapped open, glowing bright blue as he glanced around in shock. He gasped for air, as if he had been drowning. Was he okay? Rinoa hoped so.

* * *

"Papa, papa!" Little Marlene rushed to the door as a large, dark-skinned mad with a metal arm entered the bar.

"Hey, baby girl!" he smiled. His voice was loud and deep, and echoed through the room. "You missed your ol' dad, eh?" Marlene laughed, and nodded her head. The door opened again, and a slightly younger-looking man entered.

"You called?" He smirked.

The two men where completely different. The older one had dark hair, and scars covered his mangled face. He looked like he had been through hell, which wasn't far off from what he had actually gone through. He wore a white vest and black pants, with a chain around his neck. The younger man had lighter skin. He wore goggles on his head, pulling back his blonde hair (which, at the point, had a few strands of grey in it). He wore a faded blue t-shirt and olive green pants, and a sweatshirt around his waist.

"Thanks for coming," Tifa grinned, and more people entered - if people was the right word.

The next two people where... animals. There was a small cat wearing a crown on its head, riding a moogle. A puppet. A strange combination, Quistis thought, but cute nonetheless. The second animal looked somewhat like a moomba, but it stood on all fours, and had a darker mane the extended father down its back. It had tattoos all over its body, and a feather behind its ear. Its tail looked like fire, and it had a scar over one of its eyes, sealing it shut.

"Cait Sith #3, at your service!" The puppet said cheerfully. The other animal did nothing but nod.

"Reeve," Tifa winked at the puppet, "and Nanaki. Welcome."

The final figure entered. His hair was long and jet black, with a red bandanna tied around it. He wore all black, besides his red cape. "Vinny!" Yuffie said, lunging at him and hugging him. "Took you long enough!"

"Hello, Vincent," Tifa smiled, "thanks. Is that all?"

"I think so," Cid said, "unless Cloud's supposed to be here."

"He's waiting for us," Tifa assured them. She introduced them to Zell, Irvine, Quistis, and Selphie.

"Describe Squall to us," Tifa then ordered them.

"He wears a lot of black," Zell stated.

"Yeah," Selphie agreed, "and leather!"

"He has brown hair and cold blue eyes," Irvine added.

"He's... handsome," Quistis admitted, "but has a scar across his face. Extremely noticeable. He's also about our age."

Tifa mentally noted all these things, picturing the young man in her mind.

"Alright," she said, "and everyone has a weapon?" They all nodded. "Then we're set,"

She told Marlene and Denzel not to leave the bar, and they were off.

* * *

**My Internet has been down for the past week, so I was unable to update anything. I'm really sorry.**

**I've been really busy and stressed, and have had awful anxiety lately, so I didn't have time to write a long, quality chapter. Once again, I'm really sorry.**

**On a lighter note, I finally got the chance to play Final Fantasy VIII again today! I started over from the beginning. I missed those guys so much, and thank God I've been writing with them in character!**

**Until next Friday, bye!**


End file.
